Before the Labyrinth
by TuggersTuxedoTom
Summary: As a young child, Sarah was wished away by her stepmother. As her stepmother is finding her way through the labyrinth, Sarah meets the Goblin Prince, Jareth.
1. Remembering the First Visit

***I don't own Labyrinth.***

* * *

"You have no power over me."

Those were the last words Sarah had spoken to the Goblin King after she finished his labyrinth. She and Toby were brought back to their home, where she realized that she actually loved her baby brother all along.

Jareth sat on his window ledge, twirling a few crystals in his hand. He lifted one up that showed an old picture of Sarah playing with Toby. A twinge of guilt and longing stuck his heart. He knew what he did was wrong, but he loved her. He wanted her to be his queen – his everything.

He smiled and thought back to when Sarah first came to the Underground. Her stepmother had wished that the Goblin King would take her away. Jareth remembered when his father left to bring the girl here. She was stubborn, yet Jareth found her simply intriguing.

"Jareth?" A knock came at his bedroom door. He turned to see his lovely wife – and queen – Sarah, entering the room. "Are you coming down for dinner?"

"Yes." Jareth stood up and sent the crystals away. He took Sarah's and escorted her to the dining room. They sat in silence as they ate their dinner. Sarah noticed Jareth was unusually quiet, so she decided to find out what was wrong.

"Jareth?" She asked. He glanced up. "What's wrong? You seemed disturbed about something."

"No, not disturbed," Jareth smiled. "I was just thinking about the time you first came to the Underground."

"When my stepmother wished me away?" Sarah grimaced. "Yes, I remember."

Jareth laughed. "Remember how stubborn you used to be?"

"Oh, yes!" Sarah laughed. "I still don't know how you put up with it. I remember how _you_ were as well."

"I was not used to dealing with young foolish girls," Jareth recalled. "You, my dear, were quite the handful."

"Indeed I was," Sarah agreed. "You on the other hand were quite the spoiled prince." Jareth's parents had died a very long time ago, so Jareth was crowned the Goblin King when he was only sixteen years old. Sarah came to the Underground when he was around fifteen.

"Once a spoiled prince, always a spoiled prince."

They laughed and retold the stories of when Sarah first came to the Underground. What a pair they were! Always bickering and not wanting to be near each other.


	2. The Goblin King

_Flashback to the beginning…_

A fifteen - year - old Sarah was happily reading her favorite book, _Labyrinth_, on the couch. Her stepmother walked in and frowned at the girl. She yanked the book out of her hands and held it high up so Sarah couldn't reach it. Sarah yelled and kicked her stepmother's shins, trying to retrieve her precious book.

"What is this garbage?" Her stepmother spat. "_Labyrinth_? How pathetic!" She flipped open the book and read a few lines, ignoring the screaming girl.

"Give it back!" Sarah cried.

Her stepmother grinned wickedly. "Nope. I think I'll take this for myself."

"I HATE YOU!" Sarah yelled, giving her a swift kick in the shins. She managed to grab her book when her stepmother bent over in pain.

"You little brat!" Her stepmother yelled. Fearful, Sarah ran to her room. Her stepmother chased her, but was stopped when Sarah slammed the door in her face. The door flew open and Sarah was knocked to the ground. Her stepmother ripped the book out of the girl's hands and slapped her across the face.

"S – Stop…" Sarah pleaded.

"Too bad your precious father isn't here to protect you," her stepmother sneered. "Too bad he's working late tonight. Which means you'll be here with me _alone_."

"P – Please," Sarah pleaded again. "Stop hurting m – me." The book fell to the ground, opening the book. The page landed on a picture of the Goblin King.

Her stepmother grinned wickedly. "I have an idea."

Sarah was terrified to know. "W – What?" Her stepmother grabbed a hold of Sarah and lifted her to her feet.

"I can't bear living with you anymore!" Her stepmother began, giving another slap to her face.

_"Listen!" A goblin said to her fellow sleeping goblins. They startled awake._

"Your father wouldn't want me to say this, but I must!"

_The goblins gasped._

"I wish – "

_"Listen!" The first goblin said._

_"She's going to say it!" A second goblin said._

_"Say what?" The biggest goblin asked. Truth be told, he was 'slower' than most goblins._

_"SHH!" They all exclaimed._

_"Shut up!" The second goblin whispered._

_"You shut up!" A third goblin said to the second goblin._

_"No, you shut up!" He replied._

_"LISTEN!" The first goblin cried. "She's going to say the words!"_

"Goblin King! Goblin King! Wherever you may be: take this child of mine far away from me!" She yelled out loud to no one. Sarah was on the ground, crying her eyes out.

_The goblins sighed with disappointment._

_"That's not it!" A goblin said. "Where'd she get that rubbish?"_

Her stepmother sneered at the distraught girl. "I wish I knew how the Goblin King would take you away."

_"I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now!" The same goblin exclaimed. "That's not hard, is it?!"_

Something inside Sarah's stepmother clicked. "I wish…I wish…"

_"Did she say it?" The 'slow' goblin asked._

_"SHUT UP!" They all cried. He clamped his hands over his mouth._

Sarah continued crying as her stepmother walked out of the room. She paused and looked back. "I wish the goblins would come and take you away…right now."

Just then, the big French doors in Sarah's room flew open. Mist swirled throughout the room, and a large shadow was cats upon the wall. Sarah and her stepmother faced the intruder in her window. A man wearing a cape, grey tights, and a white shirt stood before them. He had black hair and a matching black beard. A small crown sat on his head, claiming he was royalty.

"Who are you?" Sarah's stepmother demanded to know.

"You called for me," he replied.

"Called for whom?"

"The Goblin King, of course."

Her stepmother snorted. "There is no such thing."

"I am here, aren't I?" The Goblin King walked closer and held Sarah in his arms, cradling the poor girl. "As you wished, I am here to take Sarah far away from you."

"You can't do that!" Her stepmother cried. "I am her family!"

"You certainly don't act like it," the Goblin King replied calmly. "We must be off."

"Wait!"

The man turned around, already sounding annoyed. "What?"

"How can I get her back?"

The Goblin King smiled and snapped his fingers. Sarah and her stepmother gazed in wonder as they were suddenly in a different environment. The Goblin King pointed towards his castle.

"There is my castle, where Sarah will be waiting for you," he explained. "But first, you must get through my labyrinth and passed the Goblin City."

"Sounds easy enough," her stepmother said with sass.

"My labyrinth is very difficult. You could make one wrong turn, and be lost forever. You could die. The possibilities are endless." He made a clock appear. "And you only have thirteen hours."

"What happens if I don't finish in time?"

The Goblin King thought momentarily. "Usually I turn the children into goblins, but in this case, you'd be turned into a goblin because of your rotten behavior towards this defenseless girl."

"But…but…"

"Time's ticking," the Goblin King said. "Come Sarah, you must be famished."

With another snap of his fingers, the Goblin King and Sarah were gone. Her stepmother rolled up the cuffs of her pants and pushed her sleeves up. She took her first step, and entered the deadly labyrinth.


	3. Your Eyes can be so Cruel

The Goblin King escorted Sarah to his castle and to the dining room, where a table full of food awaited her arrival. Sarah was placed next to the Goblin Queen, who wore a beautiful ball gown with a tiara. Her hair was a golden honey and her eyes were a crystal blue. She smiled warmly at Sarah and gestured to the seat next to her.

"Did you fetch Jareth?" The Goblin King asked a goblin seating them.

"I did, your Majesty," the goblin replied.

"Hello Mother and Father," a male voice said. Sarah turned to see a boy about her age standing a few feet away. He had blonde hair, which was wild and untamed. He wore the same grey tights and white shirt his father wore. In his hand, he was twirling a small crystal ball like his father's. He took notice to the new guest. "Who's this?"

"Sarah," the Goblin Queen replied. "She will be staying with us while her stepmother completes the labyrinth."

The boy looked at Sarah with great distaste. "How long is she expected to stay?"

"Jareth!" His mother scolded. "Remember your manners!"

"Please welcome our guest properly," his father said. The boy – who Sarah now knew as Jareth – walked over and stiffly shook her hand.

"Welcome to the Goblin City," Jareth said. He walked away and took his seat next to his father.

"Don't mind him," the Goblin Queen whispered to Sarah. "He's tough getting used to. Don't worry. He's much nicer once you get to know him."

Sarah nodded. "This is a very lovely castle you have."

"Thank you. It has belonged to our family for many generations."

The food was quickly devoured. Sarah had never felt so full in her life. During the meal, the Goblin King and Queen wanted to know about Sarah and her life. They asked about her stepmother, to which Sarah didn't feel like talking about her anymore. She thought about how her stepmother was doing, and how far away she was. Sarah snapped back to reality when she heard a chair scrape against the floor. Jareth was just getting up to leave.

"Oh, Jareth," the Goblin King looked at his son. "Please show Sarah to the guest room where she'll be staying."

"Why me?" He whined.

"Jareth…" his father said warningly. "Act like a true Goblin Prince."

Jareth mumbled something that sounded like a snide remark, but his father ignored it. "Fine," he said. "Sarah, please follow me."

Sarah reluctantly stood up, not sure if she wanted to go with him or not. She waved to the Goblin King and Queen and followed Jareth out the door. On the way, Jareth remained quiet, twirling a few crystal balls in his hand. Sarah was tempted to ask about them, but decided to keep her mouth shut. At last they stood in front of a door.

"This is your room," Jareth said. "If you are to need my parents or myself, our rooms are down at the end of the hall. Theirs is the door or the left, and mine is on the right. You will find everything you need in your room. Good afternoon." Jareth turned to leave.

Sarah entered the room and gazed in awe. A gigantic bed sat near the large window that overlooked the Goblin City. There was a wall – length mirror that was attached to a small vanity dresser. The room was painted a soft pink, and the bedspreads were a swirly print. A few portraits hung on the walls. There was a family portrait of Jareth and his parents – and he was actually smiling! Sarah sat on the edge of the bed and wondered what she should do now. She opened her door and crept out into the hallway.

She followed the hallway to another big door. She opened and peered outside. A lovely garden sat in full bloom. The sight was rather cheerful to Sarah, and she happily skipped into the garden, stopping and smelling the colorful flowers. She stroked the velvety petal of a succulent red rose and watched a family of bunnies hop along the stone path.

"Sarah?" A voice asked. She turned to see Jareth standing behind her.

"Hello," Sarah greeted. He bowed his head and joined her by her side.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked.

Sarah shrugged. "I saw the garden and wanted to take a stroll. I love flowers."

"Really?" Jareth looked interested. "What's your favorite?"

"Amaryllis," Sarah answered.

"You know that means beauty, right?" Jareth smiled.

Sarah shook her head. "No, I did not. What's your favorite?"

Jareth looked thoughtful. "I suppose I don't have a favorite. They're all special in their own ways."

Sarah nodded in agreement. They continued walking along the path, and Jareth would tell her about the Underground. Finally, Sarah had to ask about his mood change.

"What do you mean?" Jareth asked when Sarah asked.

"You seemed…arrogant, I guess. Like you didn't care if I was here or not."

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. My attitude gets the better of me sometimes."

"It's alright."

"Besides," Jareth added. "It's nice having someone my age around here."

"Really? No goblins are your age?"

Jareth shook his head. "No. You and I are it. Well, there's actually a goblin who's slightly older than us. His name's Hoggle."

"Really?" Sarah was interested. "Can I meet him sometime?"

"Sure."

The two continued their walk back to the castle. Sarah continuously thought of her stepmother. According to her calculations, she only had about eight hours left. She wondered how far she was in the labyrinth. Before they headed inside, Jareth stopped and faced Sarah.

"Sarah, I should tell you something."

"What?"

"You are free to roam the castle whenever you'd like, but when you want to go outside, please let me or someone else accompany you."

"How come?"

"Not everyone here is good," Jareth looked serious. "There are dark things that go on here in the Underground. We would feel much better if you were with someone at all times."

That sent a chill down Sarah's spine. "You know, I took several self – defense classes back home. I think I can defend myself pretty well."

Jareth snorted. "I doubt it."

Sarah gaped at him. "So you're saying that just because I'm a girl means I can't protect myself?"

Jareth smirked. "You look to weak." Sarah narrowed his eyes at him. Not too long ago they were being decent to each other, and now here they were, starting an argument. Jareth tucked a strand of Sarah's hair behind her ear. "Your eyes can be so cruel," he stated. "And just as I can be so cruel."

Without another word, Jareth turned on his heel and walked inside. When Sarah followed, he was nowhere to be seen.


	4. Shocking News

**Blech…I wasn't too thrilled with how the second part was written. Sorry it took a few days to update. I wasn't sure how to write this chapter, but what the heck, I'll just post it.**

* * *

A young goblin was walking through the labyrinth, fairy hunting. He rounded the corner and spotted a figure in the distance. Curious, he walked closer to see that it was a human. Female, to be exact. The human was lying face – down on the ground. The goblin moved her hair out of her face and gasped.

"Uh oh…" the goblin muttered. He hitched up his pants and ran to the castle.

The Goblin King and Queen were sitting in the throne room, discussing birthday plan for Jareth. They turned to the door when the goblin burst in.

"Good evening, Hoggle," The Goblin King said. "What can I assist you in?"

"Um, your Majesty…" Hoggle fidgeted. "I was in the labyrinth and I saw a human female lying on the ground."

The Goblin King perked up. "Was she breathing?"

"No, your Majesty."

"It seems like she was not able to complete the labyrinth," the Goblin King said. "Show me to her."

Hoggle escorted the Goblin King through the labyrinth to the area where he saw the human. The Goblin King sighed when he saw it was Sarah's stepmother. She had died in completing the labyrinth. With a snap of his fingers, he teleported the dead human back home, and made it seem like she was hit by a bus or something. Just one problem now: what was he going to do with Sarah?

* * *

"Sarah?" Sarah turned to see the Goblin King calling for her.

"Yes, your Majesty?"

"Please follow me to the throne room. There's…something we need to discuss."

Sarah could sense something was wrong. "Ok."

They walked into the throne room and found the Goblin Queen and Jareth. The Goblin Queen was sitting at her throne, and Jareth was in his as well, only he was draped across it, his legs swung over the arm rest. Yet again, he was twirling those interesting crystals. The Goblin Queen watched her with sad eyes, making Sarah wonder what was going on.

"Sarah," the Goblin King sighed heavily. "We received word on your stepmother not too long ago."

"How far away is she?" Sarah asked.

"That is the thing, Sarah. She did not make it very far. One of our goblins found her dead." Sarah sucked in her breath. Did she hear correctly? Her abusive stepmother was finally dead?

"I'm free…" she murmured. Jareth looked at her curiously.

"Pardon me?" The Goblin Queen asked politely.

"I'm free!" Sarah exclaimed. She no longer had to endure anymore pain from the wicked woman. "But…where do I go now?"

"You may live here with us," the Goblin King replied. Jareth burrowed his eyebrows together. Sarah noticed when Jareth did that.

"Your Majesty, that is very kind of you, but I would not want to get in somebody's," she looked and Jareth and slightly hissed the word. "Way."

The Goblin Queen lightly smacked Jareth's boot. "Have you been treating her without respect?"

"No," he answered. Sarah held back a snort. Jareth got up from his throne and walked out of the room to who knows where.

"Um, your Majesty?" Sarah looked back over at the Goblin King. "While I am here, is there anything you would like for me to call you?"

"We grow tired of hearing 'Goblin King and Queen' after a while. You may call us by our names: Cormac and Ariane."

Sarah smiled. "Alright."

Sarah was not sad at all about the loss of her stepmother. Sarah would no longer feel pain and misery. There were many things Sarah wished she could have told her stepmother her anger over the years, but it was too late now. Sarah walked back to her room, and found a vase of Amaryllises along with a note.

_I'm sorry for your loss._

_Jareth_

Sarah smiled and bent down to smell the flowers. Why in the world was Jareth being so nice all of a sudden? She wanted to thank him, so she left the room and walked down the hall towards his room. She knocked and the door opened.

"Hello Sarah," Jareth greeted. "Did you need something?"

"I wanted to thank you for the flowers," Sarah grinned.

"You're welcome," Jareth smiled. Wow. Sarah thought he had a killer smile.

"JARETH!" Cormac boomed. Jareth groaned and hung his head for a brief second. He shot his head up.

"WHAT?" He yelled back. A giggle escaped Sarah's lips, and Jareth smirked.

"Don't forget you have practice in an hour!"

He groaned. "Alright!"

"Practice?" Sarah repeated as she and Jareth walked down the hall.

"Yeah, my uncle teaches me how to use and control my magic. He also helps train me for battle."

"Can I come?"

Jareth glanced back at her. "Really? You want to come?"

Sarah shrugged. "Sure. Maybe I could learn a few moves."

Jareth gave her his famous smirk. "Alright, _princess._"

"_Princess_?" Sarah sneered. "Really?"

Jareth chuckled. "It suits you well." He glanced at the big Grandfather Clock behind Sarah. "Come, we must go." Jareth led her through a big door, which led to a room full of equipment. Jareth took her on a tour of the room, describing all the magical equipment he used.

"Ah, Jareth!" A male voice said, startling the two. They turned to see a man who looked like Cormac. Sarah guessed this was Jareth's uncle.

"Hello, Uncle Henrik," Jareth greeted. The man, Henrik, looked Sarah up and down.

"Well, well, Jareth, I see you found yourself a girlfriend?" He had a twinkle in his eye.

"She's not my girlfriend," Jareth grumbled.

"Quite a pretty one," Henrik commented. Sarah blushed and looked down at the ground. Jareth sensed her uncomfortableness and tore the conversation away from her.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Jareth asked. He glanced at Sarah, who mouthed a silent 'thank you'.

"How to shape – shift," Henrik informed. Sarah took a seat near the wall and watched the two men stand in the center of the room. Henrik gave Jareth some instruction of breathing steadily and focusing his mind.

"What should I shape – shift into?" Jareth asked.

"Anything you want," Henrik answered. Jareth closed his eyes and focused his mind. Before Sarah could blink, Jareth had shape – shifted into…_Sarah_! The fake Sarah opened her eyes and the real Sarah stood up. They walked closer to each other, and the real Sarah stared at the fake Sarah. The fake Sarah smiled.

"Hi Princess," the fake Sarah said. Henrik looked shocked at the name Jareth called Sarah. The real Sarah blinked in surprise. It even sounded like her!

"Wow…that's amazing!" The real Sarah exclaimed.

Henrik nodded. "It truly is. You humans have the ability to do this, but you haven't focused your minds over the years."

"Really?" Sarah was intrigued. Jareth must have lost his focus, because he came back to his own self. He smiled briefly at Sarah and faced Henrik.

"Now can we train for battle?" Jareth asked. Henrik shook his head.

"Not today," he replied. "I have much work to return to."

"But – "

Henrik whipped around and slapped Jareth across the face. Jareth fell back onto the floor, holding his cheek and grimacing. Sarah gaped at the man who stuck Jareth.

"What was that for?!" Sarah cried.

"Merely a part of his training," Henrik said gruffly. He turned and walked out the door. Jareth stood up and straightened his clothes.

"Why do you let him treat you like that?" Sarah asked.

"To help me train," Jareth replied grimly. "Yeah, it hurts, but it's what I need to prepare myself."

Sarah looked at Jareth's cheek to make sure it was ok, and when she was certain it was fine, they walked down to the dining hall, where a magnificent dinner awaited them. Sarah noticed that Jareth kept his cheek hidden from view, and he tried acting cheery and like nothing was wrong. Sarah became suspicious at his abnormal behavior. She'd have to ask him about that later.


End file.
